Station-indicator



J. C. KERCKHOFF. STATION INDICATOR.

I APPLICATION FILED AUG.8| 1917.

Patented May 13, 1919.

HUM '11.

BROADWAY h/ nesses PATENT FFICE.

JACOB CASPER KERCKHOFF, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO BER'NHARD H. CRONACHER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

STATION-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 13, 1919.

Application filed August 8, 1917. Serial No. 185,211.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB C. KERoKHoFr, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sta- Mon-Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertain-s to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in station indicators and particularly to station indicators which are adapted to be used in street cars.

One object of the present invention is to provide a device of this character which is adapted to be operated in a step-by-step fashion, and includes novel means for preventing overthrow or retrograde movement of the web carrying reels when the actuating means is moved.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which is simple in construction,,strong and eflicient in its organization, and easy of operation.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein the street carrying web is arranged to be wound from one reel to another and then back again by a continuous movement of an actuating means .in one direction.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved station indicator.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device with the front wall of the casing removed.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the device with the casing removed.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the pawl 37 and the means for releasing the same from the ratchet wheel 19.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawing 10 represents a rectangular casing which is adapted to be secured in a street railway car at a point where it can be easilyseen by the passengers. In one end of the casing there is mounted a roller 11 to which is secured one end of a web 12, and

other end of the web is secured. Mounted on the casing, and surrounding one end of the pintle 15 of the roller 11, is a casing 16, and in this casing is disposed a flat coil spring 17, one end being connected to the pintle and the other end to a helical coil spring 18 which is secured to the adjacent wall of the casing 10. These springs cooperate to turn the roller 11 and hold the web under tension and thereby prevent buckling of the web as the same is being unwound from the roller 11. On the ends of the roller 14 there are secured the ratchet wheels 19 and 20, and loosely mounted on the trunnion of the roller, adjacent the wheel 19, is an operating lever 21. A pivoted pawl 22 is carried by the said lever for engagement with the teeth of the wheel 19. A coil spring 24: is connected at one end to the lever and at its other end to the easing, this spring holding the lever normally in retracted position with the pawl 22 a short distance away from the tooth of the wheel 19, so that the lever must be moved a short distance to actuate other mechanism to be described later before it engages said tooth. Connected to the outer end of the lever isa cord 25 which extends to the roof of the platform of the car within convenient reach of the conductor whose duty it is to pull said cord as each street or station is passed. 7

A yoke member 26 is pivotally mounted on the casing 10 and has its arms 27 formed with a nose 28 which engages with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 20. On the inner face of the lever there is mounted a cam boss 29 which is adapted to be engaged by the laterally turned end 30 of the other arm 31 of the yoke. A leaf spring 32 is carried by the casing and bears on the arm 27 to press the same toward the teeth of the wheel 20. As the lever is moved forwardly the pawl 22 will grip a tooth ofthe wheel 19 and turn the same so that a portion of the web will be wound onto one roller from the other, as

' diately taken up on the roller 11.

will clearly explained later. I Mounted in the casing, above and below the sight opening =13, are-idlerrollere33, withwhich the web engages directly behind said open-- is square in cross section, as shown at 34,

and is arranged to be received in the eye of the crank handle 35, which is used to rewind the web back onto the roller 14, at the end of each round trip. I

Before starting on the outgoing lap of the round trip the crank handle is used to roll all of the web onto the roller 14. This causes the spring 17 to be wound tightly by the turning of the roller 11. As the car passes the first street or station the conductor pulls the cord to rock the lever 2-1. This movement of the lever, just prior to the engage 'ment of the pawl 22 with the tooth of the wheel 19, will bring the cam boss into engagement with the laterally turned end of the arm 31 whereby the yoke will be rocked so as to disengage the other arm of the yoke from the ratchet wheel 20. Further move ment of the lever brings the pawl 22 into engagement with the tooth of the wheel 19 and results in the turning of the'roller 14. As the roller turns it slackens up on the web to a suitable distance which is immediately taken up by the roller 11, through the unwinding action of the spring 17 Thus at each stroke of the lever a portion ofthe web on the roller 14 will be loosened and imme- This continues until the web has been completely wound onto the roller 11. The return lap of the round trip is thenbegun, but instead of rewindingthe web, the conductor continues to actuate the lever ashe passes the fdif ferent streets or stations. This second series of actuations of the lever causes the web to be'w'ound again onto the roller 14, but in a direction opposite to that in which it was first wound." Thus the names of the streets or stations are again presented to view through the sight opening, but in a reverse order to that in which they appeared in the first half of the trip. When the trip is completed the web is again rewound onto the roller 14 by means of the handle -35,.so that it will be trip.

To hold the roller 14v against retrograde movement there is provided the leaf spring able drum 38 rotatable and slidable on a stem 39 carried by a flange member 40 which is ,mounted on the frame of the device adjacent "thewheel 19 The flange of Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissionerot Iietenta;

"I 'washingto nnql,

properly arranged for the next I the member 40 is formed with the notches 41, in its edge for the reception of the lugs 42 formed on the inner end of the drum 38. Encir-cling thestem and: secured to the member 40 and to the drum, is a spring 43,-said spring 'normally drawing the drum inwardly so that its teeth engage in the notches 41. Thus the drum is held against rotation, while the pawl thereof flexibly engages with the'teeth of the ratchet wheel 1.9,

during the rotation of said wheel. hen

7 the crank handle 35 is brought into use the drum 38 is pulled outwardly to disengage its lugs from the notches 41, an'd'then turned about. ninety degrees and permitted to be drawn inwardly and reengage its lugs with the notches of the member 40. Thus the pawl is-held out of engagement with the wheel 19, so that the roller 14' can be easily turned and the web be wound'thereon. At-

ter the web is wound on theroller 14, the

drum is pulled out and turned to its original position and permitted to spring in wardly, thus reengaging its pawlwith the wheel 19.

Thus'the conductor has only to continue to pull the cord and actuate the lever 21 in the same direction throughout the entire round trip, the stations or streets appearing yofke movably Qunted on the casing, ratchet wheels carried by the ends of of 7 said rollers, a lever loosely mounted on one end of said roller, the ends of the yoke being extended into parallel relation, one of said ends engaging one of said ratchet wheels, a spring bearing on the laSt-named end, the other end being directed laterally, and a cam boss carried by the lever and engaging with the laterally directed end for raising and depressing said yoke.

2. In a station indicator, web carrying reels, one of said reels being provided with ratchet wheels on the ends thereof, a detent engaging with one of said ratchet wheels,

means on the other end of the reel engaging and turning the other ratchet wheel, and means on said engaging means for raislng and depressing. the detent into and out of} engagement with the ratchet Wheel. y

. n testimony whereof, I aflix my signature I inthe presence of two witnesses. V

. JACOB CASPER KEROKHOFF.

Witnesses: r

B; H. CRoNAoHER, I WM; KLINGER. 

